Margin regulators for typewriters or like business machines



March 5, 1963 J. R. SPALLA 3,080,038

MARGIN REGULATORS FOR TYPEWRITERS OR LIKE BUSINESS MACHINES Filed March 9,' 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR JOSEPH R. SPALLA BY am. '4? E ATTORN S March 5, 1963 J. R. SPALLA 3,080,038

MARGIN REGULATORS FOR TYPEWRITERS 0R LIKE BUSINESS MACHINES Filed March 9, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 71L 71/? JOSEPH R. SPA LA A BY am: EZw/Lfiw Flg. 5

ATTORNEYS 3,986,638 Patented Mar. 5, 1963 York Filed Mar. 9, 1962, Ser. No. 178,739 Claims. (Cl. 197-63) The invention relates to margin regulators for typewriters or like business machines; more particularly it relates to margin regulators operative to arrest the traveling element of a typewriter; and specifically it relates to margin regulators which are normally freely positionable on a rack bar and operative to engage and lock with the rack bar in response to the movement of the traveling element to locations defined by selectively positioned margin regulators.

Margin regulators presently the vogue on machines having a fixed printing point and a movable platen are mounted to the rear of the platen and normally engage a rack bar carried by the platen carriage. Depending on the position of the regulators relative to a frame mounted center stop, the setting of the right and left margin regulators each requires the movement of the carriage to a desired position and the manipulation of an associated release mechanism to effect the disengagement of its associated margin regulator whereby it may be propelled by a spring toward the center stop or, manipulation of the release mechanism and then movement of the disengaged margin regulator by movement of the carriage to a desired position.

As is apparent from the above several manipulative steps are necessary to set each margin regulator and the hardware necessary to accomplish the margin setting function is relatively complicated. A further drawback of margin regulating systems of the above type is the fact that the set positions of the margin stops are not visible to an operator and can only be determined by moving the carriage.

Margin regulators on machines of the movable printing point and stationary platen type are normally mounted on and in locking engagement with a rack bar affixed to the typewriter frame forwardly of and below the platen whereby they are positioned relative to the carriage supporting a type matrix. In these machines levers affixed to the margin regulators extend forwardly through the front mask of the typewriter, a horizontal slot being provided in said front mask whereby the levers may be manipulated to disengage the regulators from the rack and then used to move them relative to the matrix printing element carriage to a desired position and then relatched. Here again the arrangement requires disengagement, movement and re-engagement.

In accordance with the present invention margin regulators or stops are normally freely positionable on a margin rack bar and are cause to engage and lock with the bar only upon movement of the traveling element of the machine to a stopping point defined by a positioned regulator. Since the regulators are freely movable on the rack bar they may be set to desired positions simply by moving them to said desired positions. An additional feature of the instant arrangement, particularly with respect to fixed printing point typewriters, is the fact that the set positions of the margin regulators are always visually determinable by an operator.

An object of the invention therefore is in the provision of a simplified margin regulator system.

Another object of the invention is to provide a margin regulator system wherein margin setting may be accomplished in a facile manner and wherein the settings are always visible.

A further object of the invention is in the provision of apparatus for positioning margin stops which are normally freely movable relative to a rack bar.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the margin regulator system of the invention incorporated in a fixed printing point typewriter;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic view of the margin regulator system shown in FIGURE 1:

FIGURE 3 is a perspective View of a regulator showing more clearly its construction and the connection thereto of the loop shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view showing a margin regulator system of the invention incorporated in a mov able printing point typewriter; and

FIGURE 5 is a view of the front mask of a movable printing point typewriter.

Referring now to the drawings there is shown in FIG- URE 1 a carriage 11 movable relative to a typewriter frame 12 and carrying a platen 13 supported in carriage end frames 14 (FIGURE 2). As is usual in machines of this type a margin rack bar 15 is secured at its ends to the carriage end frames 14 behind the platen 13 and below a paper table 16. The margin rack in accordance with one embodiment of the invention is formed with rectangular shaped locking teeth 17 along one edge and with generally triangular detenting teeth 18 along an op posite edge. As will be understood the teeth 17 and 18 are spaced in accordance with the pitch of the machine. As shown in FIGURE 1 a pair of margin regulators generally designated by reference numeral 21 are mounted for movement on the rack bar 15. The margin regulators are similar and, having reference to FIGURES 1 and 3, each generally comprises a rectangular body 22 adapted to encompass the rack bar. A U-shaped rack engaging element 23 embracing each body is pivotally mounted on pins 24 extending from opposite sides of the regulator body into the legs 25 of the U-shaped element. As most clearly shown in FIGURE 3 a stop engaging arm 26, integrally formed with one leg of each U-shaped element 23 and forming a V-shape therewith, extends to the same edge of the rack bar as the base or rack engaging portion 27 of the U-shaped element with its extremity 28 positioned to be engaged by the center stop 29 of the machine when the carriage and the rack mounting the regulators moves to the center stop. The U-shaped element 23 is biased by a spring 31 (FIGURE 3) secured thereto and to the body such that the base 27 of the U-shaped element is normally disengaged from the teeth 17 on the rack bar, stops 32 limiting movement of element 23. Also embracingly mounted on the regulator body is a U-shaped spring element 33 whose legs are secured to and supported by the body 22 such that a detent roller 34 mounted on the base portion of the spring element biases the detent roller against the teeth 18 on the rack.

As shown in FIGURE 1 and more particularly in FIG- URE 2 each extremity of the rack bar 15 rotatably mounts a shaft 35. Each of the shafts extends through the rack bar perpendicularly to the plane of the teeth thereof and each fixedly carries a pulley 36 on one side of the rack bar and rotatably carries a pulley 37 on the other side of the rack bar. The fixed pulley 36 on one shaft is on the same side of the rack bar as the rotatably mounted pulley 37 on the other shaft, as is apparent from FIGURE 2. A continuous dimensionally stable cord or belt '38 is looped around each pair of pulleys 36 and 37. Each belt 3 38 is suitably secured as at 39 to the body of an associated margin regulator 21. As will hereinafter be more clearly evident the rotation of a shaft 35 will rotate the pulley 36 afiixed thereto which in turn will frictionally or positively drive the belt 38 and the regulator associated therewith either to the right or left relative to the center stop 29 depending on the direction of rotation of the shaft.

Each of the shafts also carries on its rearwardly extending end a bevel gear 42. Each bevel gear 42 is adapted to be driven by a bevel gear 43 secured on a stub shaft 44 rotatably supported in the carriage end frames 14. Each stub shaft also carries a wheel 45 or other suitable indexable element. As shown in FIGURE 1 the wheels 45 extend through slots 46 in the end frame masks 47 whereby numerals representing space increments will be visible to an operator and whereby the wheels may be manually turned by an operator relative to index marks 48 on the end frame masks. The setting of the right and left margin regulators is accomplished simply by turning the left and right margin wheels respectively designated 45L and 45R which drive associated bevel gears 43 and 42 which in turn drive associated pulleys 36, the latter moving the belt and normally disengaged regulator associated therewith to a desired setting. If a sheet is placed in the machine adjacent the paperguide 49 positioned in a zero position, an operator after determining how many spaces she wishes to indent her left margin, e.g. 10 spaces, need only move the wheel 45L so that the number 10 is aligned with the index mark 48. To set her right margin, she need only note the number on the cylinder scale 50 aligned with the right edge of the paper, add to it the number of spaces she wishes to indent in from the right, and move the wheel 45R so that the correct number is opposite the index mark 48 The detent rollers normally yieldingly hold the freely positionable regulators 21 in the position to which they have been set but permit their movement by the setting wheels and gearing. In operation, the regulators having been set, when the carriage, movable in letter feed or carriage return direction, carries a regulator to the center post 29 of the machine, e.g. when the carriage moves in letter feed direction the arm 26 of the right margin regulator will engage the center stop and be driven clockwise as viewed in the FIGURE 1 thereby driving the base 27 of the U-shaped element into engagement with the rack, stopping carriage movement.

The same arrangement of regulators may be employed with a movable printing element or matrix machine. As shown in FIGURE 4 a movable printing element 61 mounted on a carriage 62 supported by rails 63- is provided with a stop 64 positioned to actuate the stop arms 26 of regulators 21 mounted on a rack bar 65 which, in this type of machine, is mounted on the frame forwardly of the printing element. The regulators 21 shown in FIG- URE 4 may be associated with wheels, gearing and pulleys as described with reference to FIGURE 1, the wheels 71L and 71R in this instance extending through vertical slots 72 on opposite sides of the front mask of the machine as shown in FIGURE 5.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown) but similar to that of FIGURES 1, 2 and 5, adetenting Wheel and associated detent member could be associated with shafts 35 or 44 thereby eliminating the necessity for providing detenting teeth on the rack bar and detenting elements on the regulators.

It should be understood that the foregoing disclosure relates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for the purposes of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

' The. invention claimed is:

1. In a typewriter having a frame and a carriage laterally movable thereon,

a margin regulator mechanism for selectively controlling the limits of motion of said carriage comprising a rack bar having at least one serrated edge,

a pair of margin regulators slidably disposed on said bar,

spring urged detent means yieldably maintaining said regulators in set position on said bar, each of said regulators having a locking detent spring urged out of engagement with said serrated edge,

stop means positioned for abutting engagement with said locking detents whereby upon relative movement and eventual engagement of one of said regulatorsand stop means at the locations defined by the set positions of said regulators, said locking detents are rocked into locking engagement with said rack bar, said stop means and said rack bar being one on the frame and one on the carriage of said typewritter,

means connected to said margin regulators for positioning said regulators and for visibly indicating the locations of said regulators, said means comprising a pair of pulleys associated with each margin regulator, the

pulleys of a pair being mounted on opposite ends of said rack bar,

a flexible dimensionally stable belt looped around each pair of pulleys and secured to an associated regulator,

an indexable member associated with each margin regulator,

means for visibly rotatably mounting said indexable members on said typewriter so that an operator can selectively rotate them,

and means operatively connecting each of said indexable members to one of the pulleys associated with a margin regulator whereby rotation of said members effects lateral movement of associated regulators relative to said stop means.

2. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said rack bar is secured to said carriage, and said stop means is secured to said frame.

3. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said rack bar is secured to said "frame, and said stop means is secured to said carriage.

4. In a typewriter having a frame and a carriage supporting a printing element laterally movable thereon,

a rack bar having first and second serrated edges secured to said frame,

a margin regulator slidably disposed on said bar,

means for yieldably retaining said regulator in a set position on said bar,

means carried by said regulator biased out of engagement with said bar and adapted to lockingly engage said rack bar,

a stop member secured to said carriage adapted upon movement of said carriage to the location defined by said set position to engage said last named means thereby causing it to lock with said rack bar,

operator cont-rolled means for moving said regulator relative to said carriage,

said operator controlled means comprising indexable means rotatably mounted on said typewriter frame,

a pulley on either end of said rack bar,

a continuous belt looped about said pulleys and secured to said regulator,

and means operatively connecting said indexable means and one of said pulleys whereby rotation of said indexable means effects the lateral movement of said regulator relative to said stop member.

5. In a typewriter having margin regulators normally freely movable on a rack bar and operable into locking engagement with said rack bar upon engagement of said a regulators with an abutment member, said abutment member and said rack being one on the frame and one on the movable carriage element of said typewriter; the improvement comprising shafts rotatably mounted in opposite ends of said rack bar.

a drive pulley secured to and a driven pulley rotatably mounted on each shaft, the drive pulley on one shaft being associated with the drive pulley on the other shaft,

a belt looped about each of said associated drive and driven pulleys, means for securing said belts to associated margin regulators, and means for indexably References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Aebi Dec. 25, 1951 Phillips Apr. 21, 1959 

5. IN A TYPEWRITER HAVING MARGIN REGULATORS NORMALLY FREELY MOVABLE ON A RACK BAR AND OPERABLE INTO LOCKING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID RACK BAR UPON ENGAGEMENT OF SAID REGULATORS WITH AN ABUTMENT MEMBER, SAID ABUTMENT MEMBER AND SAID RACK BEING ONE ON THE FRAME AND ONE ON THE MOVABLE CARRIAGE ELEMENT OF SAID TYPEWRITER; THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING SHAFTS ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID RACK BAR, A DRIVE PULLEY SECURED TO AND A DRIVEN PULLEY ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON EACH SHAFT, THE DRIVE PULLEY ON ONE SHAFT BEING ASSOCIATED WITH THE DRIVE PULLEY ON THE OTHER SHAFT, A BELT LOOPED ABOUT EACH OF SAID ASSOCIATED DRIVE AND DRIVEN PULLEYS, MEANS FOR SECURING SAID BELTS TO ASSOCIATED MARGIN REGULATORS, AND MEANS FOR INDEXABLY ROTATING SAID SHAFTS THEREBY TO SELECTIVELY POSITION SAID MARGIN REGULATORS RELATIVE TO SAID RACK BAR. 